Torment
by xxxheartlandxxx14
Summary: Lillie smiled at him. Even covered in gore and blood, he still thought that she looked gorgeous. "I love you." She whispered, eyes shining brightly. To her, he was just Anduin – not the Crown Prince and future King of Stormwind. To him she was just Lillie, crazy, reckless and the love of his life. He gripped her hand tightly in his own. Slight AU
1. Prologue

**Full summary:** _The Alliance and the Horde are not friends – they likely never will be. But they both recognize they have a common enemy: first the Iron Horde and then, the Burning Legion. To combat the growing threats against Azeroth, the two factions need to put aside their differences and train the next generation to take over. To do so they set up a school, where the best of the best are trained and where they are taught that allies can be found in the most unlikely of places. Soon these students will face their toughest challenge yet – something not even the school could have prepared them for._

 **Khadgar**

Archmage Khadgar leaned against his staff, watching as dozens of workers completed the finishing touches on the tentatively named Azeroth Academy. The Academy was probably the craziest thing that the Alliance had ever attempted; forming a school to train future warriors of Stormwind, and having those same fighters for the Alliance be housed with the warriors of the Horde. It was crazy, borderline suicidal. But it was one of the only options that they had. The Iron Horde was nearing its defeat, but on the horizon the threat of the Burning Legion was rising.

Jaina and himself both felt it necessary to ally with the Horde and put aside the factional differences. Varian – pigheaded as he was – recognized the wisdom in their words and as a gesture of good faith was even sending his son, Anduin, to study at the Academy. Channeling his magic, Khadgar opened a portal to Stormwind to give Varian the latest report.

He hoped that this would work.

 **Lillie**

Elwynn Forest, a serene place normally when one didn't take into account the wild animals and the cultists that roamed around. Lillie groaned, following after her elder sister Alyssa. Alyssa was to put it simply a pain in the ass; she was studying to be a mage, and as such thought that she knew everything. Lately, the elder sister had taken to belittling the two younger ones because they did not have magic, and she claimed that they did not have the sense of adventure that she did.

 _Yeah, because you do so much adventuring stuck in Stormwind studying_ , Lillie thought with a roll of her eyes. Her sister may have magic, but she wasn't all-powerful and she definitely _was not_ an adventurer. The three siblings when they had been younger, had gone on adventures with the older two being dragged by Lillie, and Alyssa abhorred every moment of it.

Stopping at the lake, just a few feet from Goldshire, Alyssa whirled around brandishing a letter. "Look what I got!" Alyssa shouted, waving the letter in her sister's face.

Lillie glared, and using her quick reflexes snatched the letter out of Alyssa's hands.

 _Dear Esther Forsyth, Alyssa Forsyth, Elaina Forsyth, and Lillie Forsyth,_

 _My name is Khadgar – a member of the Kirin Tor – and an Archmage. I am writing to your family, Esther to extend an invitation to your daughters. From what I understand your eldest is studying magic in Stormwind, Elaina is also studying the Light in Darnassus under the assistance of Night Elves, and your youngest has not found her niche yet but I hear that she is good at hiding and sneaking around – a future rogue perhaps?_

 _With all of your children demonstrating stunning talents and abilities, King Varian Wrynn and I, would like to offer them a place at Azeroth Academy. The Academy is newly-built in Stranglethorn Vale, and is dedicated to training the best for future military service in Azeroth. The Iron Horde while smaller and beaten down is a substantial threat to Azeroth, but so is the Burning Legion._

 _Therefore, we are extending invitations to those best equipped to defend Azeroth. Please send a letter to the King as soon as possible._

 _\- Archmage Khadgar_

Lillie glared at Alyssa, "This letter isn't just addressed to you. It's addressed to all of us."

Alyssa shrugged uncaringly. "Yes, but out of the three of us, I am the most talented and the most adventurous and…"

Lillie rolled her eyes, tuning her sister out and refocusing on the letter. She felt a smile begin to form on her face; this was an opportunity that she had been waiting for. She only hoped that she wouldn't disappoint.


	2. Chapter One

**Lillie**

Lillie looked around in awe. The Academy was a strange and startlingly place – members of the Horde were milling about outside in the jungle, the building itself looked out of place in the lush greenery of Stranglethorn, and the vast size of the building was intimidating. Lillie hitched her pack up higher on her shoulder, shifting on her feet nervously as a rather pretentious looking Blood Elf clad in mail pushed past her. Elaina appeared at her younger sister's shoulder, grabbing her arm and pulling her after her and towards the side of the building that was occupied by other Alliance members.

Elaina, smiled at a pretty looking Night Elf with violet colored skin. "Sylene, this is my younger sister Lillie. Lillie, this is Sylene a close friend of mine."

Lillie nodded her greetings, staring at the Night Elf shyly. This was her first time seeing a Night Elf, and she was a little surprised by how tall the female was.

"Ishnu-alah," Sylene murmured bowing her head.

Lillie looked to her sister in confusion, having not understood what Sylene had just said to her. Given that Sylene was a Night Elf, Lillie deduced that she had spoken in Darnassian but that did little to help her as she didn't know Darnassian. She only knew Common.

"She said 'Good fortune to you'," Elaina said with a small smile. "Sylene, speaks Common she's just trying to be difficult." She sent a pointed look towards the Night Elf.

"My apologies," Sylene said in her hauntingly melodic voice. "Your sister knows many languages, so I was under the assumption that you did as well."

Lillie flushed in embarrassment, shifting on her feet awkwardly. She was well-aware that she wasn't as smart as her sisters were, and to hear it pointed out so candidly hurt a little. Elaina sighed, running a hand through her red hair avoiding looking at her sister. It was hard not to draw comparisons among the three Forsyth sisters. Alyssa was the eldest, the more outgoing one of the three, and was the only sister with abilities in the arcane; Elaina was the second eldest, stunningly beautiful with an affinity for the Light and she was likely the smartest out of all three of the sisters; Lillie, the youngest was reckless and helped their mother around the house. She didn't feel like she had any outstanding talents, yet others did.

She looked at the looming building of the Academy. That was why she was here. Even though others had faith that she would become something outstanding, Lillie wasn't as sure. She felt like she would always live in the shadows of her elder siblings. A shout drew her away from her inner musings and she whirled around, eyes growing wide as a Night Elf – a hunter, by the looks of it – yelled at a Blood Elf in Darnassian. The Blood Elf's eyes narrowed and he lunged forward, unsheathing his blade and pointing it at the huntress's neck. Beside her Sylene tensed a growl rumbling in her throat.

Before things could escalate any further, a shockwave of magic blasted them apart. Lillie's eyes grew wide as Archmage Khadgar _and_ Archmage Jaina Proudmoore stepped in between the two factions. Behind them stood King Varian Wrynn, and the Crown Prince Anduin; standing a little further away was a Troll wearing the banner of the Horde, a Forsaken standing beside him. _Vol'jin and Sylvanas Windrunner then_ , Lillie thought.

"We are not gathered here to fight," Khadgar said. "We are gathered here today to welcome you all to the Academy. Here you put aside your factional differences and your petty disagreements for the sake of Azeroth. You are not Horde and Alliance now. You are students of this institution and fighting will not be tolerated."

He cast a stern look toward both sides. Jaina laid a hand on his arm, before stepping forward.

"We know that putting aside your factional differences will not be easy, but it must be done. The Iron Horde is still a threat, but there is another looming on the horizon. That is why you are here. There are threats that must be dealt with effectively and that does not seem possible if the Horde and the Alliance are fighting each other." Jaina said her voice strong. "We need to unite."

After the introductions and that rousing speech by Jaina, the cluster of Horde and Alliance were led into the Academy. Tapestries lined the walls, honoring the Alliance and the Horde. Lillie shuffled alongside her sister, her head ducked. In front of them she could hear Alyssa prattling on about something to a group of Human paladins. Elaina wrapped an arm around her younger sister, offering some semblance of comfort. Up ahead the leaders of the Alliance and the Horde stopped walking.

Lillie looked around, noting that this was the main room; on the hallways that branched off from the large spacious room were likely the dormitories, and behind Jaina and Khadgar stairs led up to the second, third, and fourth floors. _Those were likely where the classrooms are_ , Lillie thought.

"Sylvanas will take all of you to the dormitories." Jaina said. "There are a few people that I must speak with. Lillie Forsyth, Caeria Nightbloom, and Kyra Dawnfury. The rest of you may move along – not you Anduin Wrynn."

Lillie's cheeks flushed, at the stares she knew she was getting as she walked over to all of the leaders. The Night Elf that had been called up, she recognized as the Night Elf who had nearly gotten into a fight with the male Blood Elf. The Blood Elf to her right, she didn't know but she wasn't wearing anything that signified her class. Lillie shifted uncomfortably under Jaina's stern gaze, averting her eyes to the Crown Prince.

Anduin Wrynn was handsome, she realized. _Very handsome_. Golden unruly hair, a handsome and youthful face, and sharp blue eyes. He was dressed simply in black trousers and an Alliance blue colored shirt. If it weren't for the resemblance between him and the King, one would never realize that they were related or that Anduin was the future King of Stormwind.

"Interesting circumstances surround the four of you." Khadgar said. "A Night Elf with unparalleled aggression, a Blood Elf and a Human who have no idea what class they belong to, and Stormwind's Prince." He sighed, "Very interesting indeed. That brings up interesting problems. Many of these people have been training for years, but Caeria has been training for six months, and Lillie and Kyra have not started their training at all."

"So we're hopelessly outmatched," Caeria said with a scowl. The saber beside her growled its spectral form beginning to pace nervously beside its master.

"Yes," Khadgar answered honestly. "That is why you were called here. In order to catch up to everyone else, you need extra training. But some of you have yet to choose your class." He sent a pointed look towards Lillie and Kyra.

Lillie flushed, ducking her head and avoiding Khadgar's knowing eyes. She had considered what Khadgar had said in the letter, and she would admit that becoming a rogue interested her a little. But she wasn't quite ready to make such a big commitment yet.

"A paladin," the Blood Elf to her right said.

"Lillie?" Khadgar questioned.

Lillie shifted nervously, still looking at the ground. "I…suppose a rogue?"

"Khadgar," Anduin intervened. "It's been a long day and it's growing late. Perhaps you should seek answers tomorrow? It is not a decision that one can make on the spot." He smiled crookedly.

Khadgar shot the young Prince a surprised look but acquiesced to the young man's demands. Lillie relaxed minutely. Khadgar dismissed them, then saying that he wanted a definite answer tomorrow. Lillie sighed, her hands beginning to shake. This was a huge decision for her to make, one that could not be done lightly. But before she made her decision, she decided that heading to the library and learning about the other races would be important especially since she was going to be around them all the time.

* * *

Lillie sighed, chewing on her lower lip as she opened the large leather-bound tome in the library which contained a chronological history of every race in Azeroth.

 **Vengeful Outsiders**

 _For nearly 7,000 years, high elven society centered on the sacred Sunwell, a magical fount that was created using a vial of pure arcane energy from the first Well of Eternity. Nourished and strengthened by the Sunwell's potent energies, the high elves' enchanted kingdom of Quel'Thalas prospered within the verdant forests north of Lordaeron._

 **Blood Elf History**

 _During the Third War, however, the high elves were nearly scoured from Azeroth. Led by the death knight Arthas, a Scourge army stormed into Quel'Thalas, slaughtering almost ninety percent of the kingdom's population. Arthas then used the mystical Sunwell to resurrect the fallen necromancer Kel'Thuzad, irrevocably tainting the fount in the process._

 _Fearing that the befouled well would obliterate his dwindling race, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider gathered a group of Quel'Thalas's defenders and destroyed the fount to avert catastrophe. Although the high elves were spared from continued exposure to the Sunwell's dark energies, in the fount's absence they suffered terribly from withdrawal. As a result, Kael'thas desperately searched for a means to help his people—whom he had renamed the blood elves—and thus he set out for the shattered world of Outland. There he allied with the renegade demon Illidan Stormrage in the hopes of finding a cure for the blood elves' crippling withdrawal._

 _Kael'thas had assured his people that one day he would return to Quel'Thalas and lead them to paradise, yet time revealed that his promises were nothing more than lies. On Outland, the prince became twisted due to his reliance on fel energy, the dark and corrupting essence wielded by the demonic Burning Legion itself. Unbeknownst to Illidan, Kael'thas also came under the sway of the Legion's commander, Kil'jaeden._

 _At the bidding of his new master, the wayward prince eventually returned to Azeroth and seized the site of the Sunwell, hoping to use the fount as a means to usher Kil'jaeden into the world. Ultimately, Kael'thas was slain before his recklessness could bring ruin to Azeroth. In the wake of Kil'jaeden's defeat, the draenei prophet Velen purified the Sunwell with the Light-infused heart of a fallen naaru, transforming the fount into a source of both holy and arcane energies._

 _Inspired by the Sunwell's rebirth, the blood elves have since entered into a shining new era in their ancient race's history. Although some elves remain hesitant to abandon their dependence on arcane magic, others have embraced change for the betterment of Quel'Thalas. Yet only time will tell if the blood elves can avoid repeating the tragic mistakes of their past._

Lillie flipped the page, turning to the section about Night Elves, which was decidedly smaller than the section about the Blood Elves.

 **Venerable Guardians**

 _The ancient and reclusive night elves have played a pivotal role in shaping Azeroth's fate. The night elves of today still remember the War of the Ancients over ten thousand years ago, when they halted the Burning Legion's first invasion of Azeroth. When the Legion's remnants rallied together with the vile satyrs centuries later, the night elves again opposed the threat, ultimately vanquishing the forces that set out to wreak havoc on their world._

 **Night Elf History**

 _The Legion's emergence had forever changed night elven society. Under the leadership of Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage, they cultivated a peaceful civilization, and shunned the use of arcane magic, which had attracted the Legion to Azeroth._

 _But the night elves' tranquility was shattered anew when the Legion and its terrifying undead Scourge launched a new invasion of Azeroth in the modern times-a conflict known as the Third War. The Night Elves fought alongside the Horde and Alliance to defeat the Legion, but their victory was only made possible through an explosion that damaged the blessed World Tree, which had long granted the night elves immortality and protection from aging and disease._

 _Against Malfurion's warnings, renegade druids created a new World Tree in hopes of restoring the night elves' immortality. But this new World Tree eventually became tainted by a dark malady called the Emerald Nightmare, which the night elves were were able to combat with Malfurion's aid._

 _Although the night elves still struggle to cope with the loss of immortality, the fate of Azeroth rests on their resilience and willingness to aid other races; qualities which the Burning Legion will surely test again._

 _Hm…So it seems that the Burning Legion has always been a problem for Azeroth, but because of the Dark Portal it's just become a bigger issue,_ Lillie mused. Lillie shut the tome, and stood up going to put it back. She nearly dropped the book in shock when she saw that Anduin was standing at one of the bookshelves, watching her. Her cheeks flushed and she ducked her head as she passed him, placing the book back where she had found it.

She didn't say a word to him, nor did he say one to her. Unwilling to stay in an awkward silence Lillie practically bolted out of the library, grabbing her pack off of the top of the table as she went. She shut the door, leaning against it heavily. She took a deep breath, pushing off of the door.

 _Time to go find my room,_ she thought.

 **Anduin**

He furrowed his brows as Lillie Forsyth dashed past him, her cheeks stained with a light blush. What had he done to warrant such a reaction he wondered. Was it because he had been standing here, staring at her? _Probably_ , he admitted. He hadn't meant to stare or to run into her in the first place. He had come here with the intention of finding a book about rogues and lending it to Lillie; that seemed to be the path that she wanted to take only she was hesitant.

He sighed, pulling the book off of the shelf and staring at it for a few moments before putting it back. Shaking his head, Anduin morosely headed out of the library and to find his father. He hadn't meant to overstep his bounds or make her uncomfortable. He had only been trying to help. That hadn't fared so well. Anduin passed through the hallways like a ghost; for once in his life no one paid any attention to him and for that he was grateful. He paused at the window that looked out into the courtyard his eyes falling onto the figure of Lillie who was sitting near an older girl with red hair and a Night Elf.

The three were talking in low voices, but whatever they were talking about seemed to be embarrassing Lillie. Further away from the girls, raised voices caught his attention and he looked withholding a sigh as he saw that Night Elf Caeria confronting the Blood Elf warrior from earlier. Caeria hissed something in Thalassian, and the Blood Elf tensed withdrawing his sword and pointing it at her as he said something back angrily. Caeria smirked, arching a perfectly sculpted brow.

 _Time to intervene_ , Anduin thought. He dashed into the courtyard heading towards the two who appeared like they were going to fight. _Again._

"Caeria stop." Anduin told her, pushing her back a few steps. He turned to the Blood Elf, praying that he understood Common. "I apologize for her; she seems to have forgotten her manners."

The Blood Elf's fel-green eyes looked to Caeria for a moment before going back to Anduin. "Keep a better leash on your pets Human," the Blood Elf finally said casting a dark look at Caeria before stalking away.

"What'd you do that for?" Caeria hissed, glaring at Anduin. Beside her her saber growled.

"We are not here to cause fighting amongst the factions," Anduin answered coolly, "which is what you seemed to be doing. We are here to promote peace and unity, not fighting and discord."

The hotheaded Night Elf scowled, looking away from Anduin. He wasn't naïve; he knew that the hatred between the Horde and the Alliance ran deep. But, with future bigger conflicts becoming a very real and very dangerous possibility, it was time to try to push past those differences and unite under a common cause. At least for now. It wouldn't be easy he knew that, but they needed to _try_.

Caeria didn't say a word to the Prince. Instead she patted her saber on the head and walked away stiffly, the scowl seeming to be permanently etched on her features. Anduin sighed.

 _Maybe the Horde and the Alliance working together would be near impossible_ , he thought. It was amazing that the factions had even built a truce after Pandaria, a long-lasting truce seemed to be something harder to enforce. Anduin sighed once more.

Keeping the peace at the Academy was going to be much more difficult than he had anticipated.


	3. Chapter Two

**Lillie**

As the sun rose high over Stranglethorn Vale, Lillie woke up with a renewed sense of purpose. Yesterday, she had talked with her sisters and they had consulted her on what to do – what to decide. While on a good day she couldn't stand Alyssa, she knew that she could always count on her oldest sister to give her sound advice.

 _"I don't understand why you're asking us what you should do," Alyssa said smiling at Lillie comfortingly. "You already know what you want to do sweetie. From the sound of it you_ really _want to become a rogue. When we asked you to think of the pros and cons, you could only think of the good things you couldn't think of any negatives. So why are you second guessing yourself?"_

 _Her words took Lillie by surprise, and she realized that Alyssa was right. She already had an answer but she was second guessing herself, and for what reason? She had yet to figure that out._

After getting dressed and brushing through her hair, Lillie headed out of her room making sure that she closed the door softly. Yesterday she had learned that she would have a roommate and her roommate came in the form of a Caeria Nightbloom – the Night Elf hunter with a bad temper. Truthfully, Lillie thought that Caeria seemed nice enough unless you annoyed her. But wasn't that true with everyone? The Academy was large and sprawling, and she had only gotten here yesterday so in her efforts to find Khadgar she ended up getting lost.

Lillie sank down to the floor, a frustrated scowl appearing on her face. She should have been smarter; she shouldn't have just started wandering around without a general idea of where she was going. And now she was lost. Footsteps on the stone floor drew Lillie's attention away from her pity party, and she looked up. Her eyes widened when they locked onto startling blue, staring back at her.

 _Of course I'd run into Anduin,_ she thought. _But at least he'll know where Khadgar is_.

Lillie clambered to her feet, wiping her hands on her pants self-consciously. "I don't suppose that you know where Khadgar is do you?"

"Yes, he just sent me to look for you." Anduin answered staring at her somewhat shyly. "You were very close to finding him. You just had to go down that hallway," he jerked his thumb towards the hallway that he had just came out of.

Lillie's mouth dropped open, "Seriously?"

He nodded. Grumbling obscenities under her breath she followed after Anduin, who led her down the hallway and into a large spacious room. Khadgar was seated at the desk in the center of the room, talking in hushed voices to Jaina and Varian who were huddled around the desk. Vol'jin, the leader of the Horde was noticeably absent but Lillie observed that Sylvanas was there. Her brows furrowed in confusion, but she didn't contemplate the matter further.

She was here to talk to Khadgar, nothing more. Anduin cleared his throat and the three adults stopped talking immediately as they turned to face the teens. Khadgar allowed a small smile to form on his face when he saw Lillie.

"I decided that I want to be a rogue." Lillie said, blushing under the stares from Jaina and Varian.

"Excellent." Khadgar said in reply. "We must get you fitted for armor, and contact a trainer. Classes won't begin for a week or two yet, but of course you'll need to train during that time. Anduin, go take Lillie to get fitted for armor and make sure that you help her find a good set of daggers."

"Of course," Anduin answered smoothly, leading Lillie out of the room.

"Classes?" Lillie asked once they were out of the room. "What kind of classes? I thought that we were brought here to be trained to fight and defend Azeroth."

"We are," Anduin answered a little hesitantly, "but you can't just defend with the sword. You have to defend with words as well."

"So we're being trained to be diplomats as well then," Lillie said a little sharper than she had intended.

Not meeting her eyes Anduin nodded sheepishly. Lillie clenched her jaw, hands clenching into fists. Being a diplomat was not something that she had signed up for. She had nothing against diplomats, but she didn't have the elegance that one would expect from a diplomat and she only knew Common – which wouldn't help since Alliance members would likely be diplomats only to the Horde and vice versa. Training to be a rogue would be difficult enough for her; she couldn't train to be a diplomat too.

Anduin led her to the armor vendor, which was conveniently located near the blacksmith. This was also coincidentally where the weapons vendor was as well. Lillie glanced at Anduin, unsure of what to say or do. She had never had to be fitted for armor before or get weapons – she'd only ever had to learn to repair dresses and sew, and take care of the house. The armor vendor looked at Lillie with a critical eye.

"She's so small – I don't have anything for her on hand. But I can make her armor," The tall woman said. "It will take a while though."

"How long?" Lillie spoke up shyly, causing the woman to look at her.

"A week, maybe two." The woman answered. "That's if I have no other clients."

"Thank you Anshara," Anduin said to her. "We'll come back in a week then to check if you have finished the armor."

Getting weapons was decidedly a much easier task, Lillie thought. The Draenei had given her one look before turning around and digging through his wares for a set of weapons that she could use. What he presented her with took her breath away. She took the daggers reverently, staring at them with wide eyes. The blades appeared very sharp, and the daggers were no longer than her forearm. At the hilt of the dagger was a carefully carved figure of a lion's head – the symbol for the Alliance. The hilt itself was a deep royal blue.

"Thank you," Lillie said as Anduin dropped several gold pieces into the Draenei's hand.

As Anduin led her to the courtyard to meet with a rogue trainer, Lillie had a hard time keeping her energy contained. So much had happened in the last few months, and now she was going to have an opportunity to become great just like her sisters. It was an exciting thought to her and it caused a wide grin to appear on her face, a grin that she couldn't seem to wipe away. The duo stepped into the courtyard and Lillie looked around curiously – where was her trainer?

"Well hello," a youthful sounding voice said from behind them.

The two whirled around. Lillie's eyes grew wide as she stared at the figure before her. _This_ was her trainer? The rogue standing before them was tinier than even Lillie and was younger than Lillie as well, looking to be about fourteen or fifteen maybe sixteen. One could tell that she was a rogue by just looking at her – dark leather armor and the daggers at her waist gave it away.

"Are you to be Lillie's trainer?" Anduin asked, taking charge of the situation.

"Yes," the girl smiled widely. "Pleasure to meet'cha Lillie and Your Highness. I'm Janie."

Lillie nodded still in shock. Anduin looked at her and Lillie snapped out of her stupor. "Pleasure to meet you as well Janie."

"Right, well Your Highness I can take it from here." Janie said.

Anduin looked like he wanted to argue but he didn't. He only nodded and left. Lillie watched him go, and then turned to Janie eyeing the smaller girl warily. Janie grinned and trepidation coiled in her gut.

* * *

Lille fell to the ground, panting. Sweat covered her neck and back; her muscles ached, and her heart was beating rapidly within her chest. Janie sank down to the ground beside her, sitting cross-legged a big smile on her face. Lillie tried not to glare at her teacher. She knew that training to be a rogue was going to be hard, but she hadn't quite grasped that it would be extremely hellish. Janie seemed to take enjoyment in Lillie's misery further arousing her temper.

Practice had started off well enough – running and learning how to wield daggers. Once Janie had felt that Lillie knew how to handle the daggers quite well – or at least had a general idea – the sparring had begun. Well, it was supposed to be sparring. Lillie took it more as Janie trying to humiliate her. Frustrated tears blurred her vision and Lillie scrubbed at her eyes angrily.

"Oh don't do that," Janie scolded her. Lillie stared at the girl incredulously. "You did perfectly fine girlie." The look on Lillie's face only intensified and Janie laughed. "I knew that I was going to win – I've been doing this since I was six. You have no reason to be disappointed in yourself; I was assessing what basic skills that you had. Compared to most people I trained you aren't terrible." She smiled, "You aren't great but you aren't the most terrible. I can work with you. Now get up, time to learn."

Groaning, Lillie slowly stumbled to her feet. She was definitely not looking forward to this. But she was pleasantly surprised – Janie's mood seemed to do a complete 180, and she was now acting like a teacher. Someone that was trying to teach and that was willing to help when needed. It was a nice and welcome change. Janie adjusted Lillie's stance and how she was holding her daggers. Lillie leaned forward, swiping at the air with the dagger in her right hand. Janie poked her in the back and she stumbled forward, losing her balance.

"Distribute your weight evenly," Janie told her. "You were leaning too far forward."

Lillie nodded taking her advice.

As the hours passed, Lillie slowly began to show a little improvement. She still messed up – a lot, but she was no longer a complete novice. Anyone watching could see that Lillie had a natural talent for this; it came easier to her than it may have for others. As the sun slowly began its descent towards the horizon, Janie decided that she was done teaching and that Lillie should probably get something to eat from the mess hall since it sounded like she hadn't eaten anything all day. Lillie sheathed her daggers at her waist, swiping her hair away from her sweaty face.

"Thank you," Lillie told Janie sincerely.

"Don't thank me yet girlie. We have training tomorrow." Janie answered with a wide beaming smile.

 **Elaina**

Elaina looked up from where she was reading her book, her eyes falling on Sylene who had just entered the mess hall a scowl on her face. Elaina raised her brows staring at her friend with some concern. She had met Sylene back in Darnassus when she had been under the tutelage of Night Elf priests; Sylene wasn't training to be a priest however, she was training to become a druid. After a skirmish in the forests near Darnassus, Sylene had gotten injured and sent to the priests for healing. That was how the two met, and they instantly became friends.

Elaina was able to read Sylene like a book ever since.

"What's wrong?" Elaina asked immediately once Sylene sat across from her, a ceramic plate clutched tightly in her hands.

"Caeria is incredibly frustrating," Sylene growled. Her eyes flashed dangerously, "She's managed to _almost_ provoke a fight with that damnable Blood Elf paladin nearly seven times already. We've only been here a day, and yet she can't seem to get ahold on her foul temper."

"And I wonder where she gets that from," Elaina quipped. Sylene gave her a scathing look. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized as she bookmarked her page, "but it's true. Do you think maybe it's her special way of trying to get his attention? I've seen that Blood Elf paladin, and he's not exactly bad looking. He's quite cute." Sylene's look grew darker. "For a member of the Horde," Elaina hurriedly added. "What I'm trying to say Syl, is that maybe Caeria is interested him in a romantic way so she is trying to get his attention."

"Caeria is smarter than that; she wouldn't be interested in a Blood Elf." Sylene said confidently. "You can't become romantically interested in someone in only a day particularly when you've never had a conversation with said person."

Elaina shrugged, neither confirming nor denying what Sylene had said. The doors to the mess hall open and Lillie stumbled in. Her eyes grew wide – her younger sister looked terrible. Bruises were blooming on her porcelain skin which was slick with sweat, and she had a small cut running along her cheekbone. Elaina watched her baby sister stumble and grab food, and then begin making her way towards them. Lillie virtually collapsed onto the seat beside Elaina whose hands flared gold with the power of the Light. She rested her hands on Lillie's skin, channeling her healing magic. The cut along her cheekbone closed up, and many of the bruises adorning her skin faded completely.

Once Elaina was satisfied that Lillie was healed up enough, she pulled away cutting off her access to her magic. She ran a hand over Lillie's head smiling sympathetically at her younger sister.

"Was training rough?" She asked compassionately.

Out of the elder two, Lillie had always preferred Elaina. Everyone knew it by watching the interaction between the sisters. Alyssa was brash and uncompromising, whereas Elaina was sweet and soft-spoken. The two older sisters were complete opposites of each other and Lillie was like a mixture of the two although her mannerisms were more similar to Elaina than Alyssa.

"It was awful," Lillie moaned, sitting up and digging into her food. "And my trainer is younger than me."

"It will get better with time," Elaina did her best to reassure her. "Trust me Lillie."

 _It had with me._


	4. Chapter Three

**Lillie**

Over the next week, Lillie had to admit that there was some improvement. Not a lot, but enough that it raised her spirits and made her throw herself into training with renewed vigor. Janie was pleased with her progress and made it evident which bolstered Lillie's confidence. Within two weeks, her armor had arrived and it had been fitted to her form. Lillie sheathed her daggers, staring at herself in the reflection of the fountain. The supple leather armor fit perfectly to her tiny stature and the knee-high boots hid several daggers. The leather was black, allowing her to perfectly blend into the shadows.

Above her head, birds chirped and Lillie could hear animals moving amongst the underbrush. Giving the jungle one last look, Lillie ducked into the Academy, heading towards the mess hall. Khadgar and Jaina would be sorting them into their classes before they both departed back to Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. Lillie was one of the last to slip into the mess hall. She dropped down onto the seat next to Elaina who looked at her a little sternly, before turning her attention to Khadgar and Jaina who stood at the front of the room.

Both mages looked imposing, dressed in battle armor and Lillie felt her brows furrow in confusion. Had something happened in Draenor? The Alliance had just begun their expedition into Draenor after battling their way through the Dark Portal. Looking around the room, it was easy to see that even though they were under one roof they were still divided. The Horde sat with the Horde, and the Alliance sat with the Alliance; there was no intermingling. Khadgar slammed his staff down onto the ground, gaining their attention.

"The classes that you will be sorted into will be based on a number of things. Our freshmen class are called Aspirants and will consist of the following individuals, Horde priestess Lyrine Highbrook, Horde paladin Kyra Dawnfury, Alliance hunter Caeria Nightbloom, Alliance rogue Lillie Forsyth, and Alliance priest Anduin Wrynn." Khadgar said. Disappointment bubbled in Lillie's chest, but she shrugged it away. It was to be expected, she had only been training for two weeks. "Our sophomore class, called Justicars, will consist of the following individuals, Alliance priestess Elaina Forsyth, Alliance warrior Garret Strom, Alliance mage Alyssa Forsyth, Alliance druid Tharion Duskshot, Alliance druid Blake Godfrey, and Horde paladin Lorimar Nightspark."

Lillie looked to Elaina who looked tickled pink at being in the Justicar class and then to Alyssa who wasn't hiding her disappointment very well. The junior class – Admirals – was primarily made up of Horde members; the senior class – Captains – were made up of an even distribution of Horde and Alliance members, including the Blood Elf paladin that Caeria had nearly gotten into a fight with. Khadgar looked out at the gathered students and papers appeared in front of each of them. Lillie looked down, a frown appearing on her face – her class schedule.

 _7:00 – 8:00 Tactics used in Warfare_

 _8:15 – 9:15 Language: Darnassian_

 _9:30 – 10:30 Medical training_

 _10:45 – 11:45 Combat training_

 _12:00 – 12:45 Lunch_

 _1:00 – 2:00 Language: Thalassian_

 _*4:00 – 6:00 practice with Janie_

After 2:00, Lillie didn't have any other classes. She looked to her sister, leaning over and peering over her shoulder at the Justicar schedule.

 _7:00 – 8:00 Orcish studies_

 _8:15 – 9:15 Language: Zandali_

 _9:30 – 10:30 Tactics used in Warfare_

 _10:45 – 11:45 Language: Orcish_

 _12:00 – 1:00 Medical training_

 _1:15 – 2:00 Lunch_

 _2:15 – 3:15 Combat training_

 _3:30 – 4:30 Language: Thalassian_

Lillie's eyes widened. "Wow," she said.

Elaina looked at her, "It's to be expected that the upper classes have a more grueling curriculum. Sylene's classes go until six o'clock."

Sylene nodded in confirmation. Lillie wrinkled her nose in distaste. _At least I don't have to learn as many languages as Elaina or even the upper classes,_ she thought. Khadgar slammed his staff against the floor again, and everyone hushed paying close attention to the Archmage.

"You will all start your classes tomorrow," Khadgar told them. "I'm sure that all of you have noticed that there is at least one language class on your schedule. The Horde will primarily be learning Alliance languages and vice versa. Jaina can explain the classes more."

He stepped back, allowing Jaina to come to the front. Lillie shivered at the calculating look in the leader of the Kirin Tor's eyes.

"The level at which you excel in your classes determines what class you belong in. You can only move up, and once you are a Captain – after showing a significant level of improvement and growth – you will be moved to Draenor to assist your chosen faction in defeating the Iron Horde. We trust that you will endeavor to improve relations between the Alliance and the Horde." Surveying Jaina, it was easy for Lillie to tell that the Archmage was having a hard time saying those words. Among the Alliance Jaina's hatred of the Horde was well-known, so it was a little surprising to see her advocating for better relations.

"Thank you," Khadgar nodded to Jaina stepping forward. "You are all dismissed."

* * *

The next day, Lillie was woken by Caeria who reminded her that they now had classes to go to. Groaning, Lillie dressed in her armor, her daggers at her waist. She had gotten into the habit of carrying her weapons at all times, and it was a habit that she couldn't shake. Caeria clicked her tongue, and Freya padded to stand beside her, fixing judgmental eyes on Lillie who had just finished brushing her hair. The first class – Tactics used in Warfare – was educational; Lillie found that rogues and mages were often the best weapons that an attacking force could have. Their teacher – a Human warrior – lecture them on the importance of subtlety, of sticking together (of course there were exceptions), and of flexibility when it came to a battle plan.

The Aspirants then moved onto learning Darnassian. Caeria, being a Night Elf, already knew Darnassian so she became the teacher's helper. Lillie struggled with Darnassian, but luckily so were the two Blood Elves. Their teacher, after seeing that Caeria was only helping because she already knew the language decided that the Night Elf huntress could switch this class with Zandali. Caeria scowled but thankfully didn't argue. After learning Darnassian they moved onto medical training – as expected Lyrine Highbrook and Anduin Wrynn excelled in this class because the two were priests. The paladin – Kyra – also fared well, while Caeria struggled and Lillie felt as if she had done just average. Then onto combat training.

Lillie grinned when she saw Janie standing near the training dummies, her arms crossed. The two Blood Elves shared incredulous looks and Janie glared at them.

"Combat training. Unlike many of your other classes, we are not going to waste time discussing theories." Janie said. "The best way for you to learn how to fight is to spar with each other. Anduin, I want you to spar with Lillie. Caeria you will fight me, and the two of you," she nodded to the Blood Elves, "will fight each other."

Lillie unsheathed her daggers, turning to Anduin who was watching her with unfathomable blue eyes. She feinted to the right, and then struck at Anduin's unprotected left side. Anduin skittered backward to avoid her, stumbling over his own feet. Lillie struck at him again, swiping at the fabric of his shirt.

Janie stepped forward. "Enough." Lillie jumped back, sheathing her daggers. "Clearly Anduin's combat skills against a rogue – even a newly trained one. Well, there's a reason that you all are Aspirants. It seems that before sparring, we need to work on the basics of fighting."

"That isn't necessary," Anduin spoke up. "I am quite capable of fighting Janie." He glanced toward Lillie, "She just took me by surprise."

Janie's eyes narrowed, but she didn't argue with him. Lillie watched the two interact, a curious expression on her face that quickly faded when Janie gave a terse nod and gave them instructions to continue to spar. To her great surprise, Lillie found that Anduin wasn't a bumbling idiot when it came to sparring. He was quite adept and through the course of their sparring he continued to best her. Her frustration mounted but she was careful not to make it too obvious. Anduin knocked her off of her feet. Her back hit the ground hard, air whooshing out of her lungs and Lillie rolled over onto her side trying to gain her breath back.

Anduin didn't offer an apology – not that she had expected to – but he did hold out a hand to help her up from the floor. Lillie took it gratefully, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Eyeing him, Lillie considered that she may have been wrong about him. He was the Prince of Stormwind, that was true but he wasn't defenseless. He wasn't some spoiled royal like she had expected him to be. Dull brown eyes locked with enigmatic blue irises. Janie clapped her hands together loudly and Lillie jumped away from Anduin, cheeks burning.

"Great progress for the first day. Now go, get lunch." Janie shooed them out of the courtyard.

Lillie ducked her head as she passed Anduin, a strange feeling curling in her gut. Caeria walked beside Lillie, unusually quiet. Behind the two walked Kyra and the other Blood Elf, who Lillie couldn't remember the name of. Lyrine, maybe?

"You know," Lyrine murmured, "I was quite impressed with the little human."

"The rogue?" Kyra commented.

" _No,_ the priest," Lyrine said with thinly veiled sarcasm. "Yes, the rogue. She's been training for such a short time and-"

"And she can likely hear us," Kyra interrupted the priestess. "We don't need to add to the ego of a human Lyrine."

Lyrine didn't answer. Lillie scowled, rolling her eyes. _Blood Elves are so narcissistic and think that they're better than everyone else_ , she thought. Stepping into the mess hall, Lillie felt a little self-conscious. The senior class – the Captains – were already there eating lunch, and stared at them blatantly, curiosity evident in their expressions. Lillie's cheeks heated up and she scurried towards the front of the mess hall, where kindly looking humans were getting their meals ready. Once she had her lunch in hand Lillie headed to a table in the back of the mess hall away from everyone else. Caeria had trailed after her, and slammed her tray onto the table her bright gray eyes glittering with barely concealed fury.

"What's wrong?" Lillie inquired, eyeing Caeria carefully and taking a bite out of her mashed potatoes.

"That damnable Blood Elf paladin," Caeria snapped, her fingers clenching tightly around her fork.

"The one that you almost got into a fight with on the first day?"

"The very same," she growled, shooting a poisonous look over her shoulder at him.

Lillie didn't reply. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to Caeria – they weren't even really friends, merely roommates and they had never interacted before. From what Lillie knew of Caeria, the Night Elf was loud, and aggressive. That wasn't at all compatible with her personality – sometimes she could be brash, but typically she was of the quiet sort, kept to herself, but she could admit that she was also reckless and impulsive. Still, Caeria's personality was the complete opposite of hers.

"What has he done to anger you so much?" Lillie broke the silence as the Captains stood up and marched out of the door.

"He exists." Caeria snapped. "He's a Blood Elf, isn't that enough?"

With that being said she stood up and stormed out of the door. Lillie stared after her perplexed. After a moment she shook her head and resumed eating. Abruptly a bowl was set next to her and Anduin dropped beside her, blue eyes thinly veiled with curiosity.

"What'd you do to anger her?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Lillie sighed; looking away from Anduin's piercing eyes. Life here might be more complicated than she had originally thought.


	5. Chapter Four

**Khadgar**

 _Several Weeks Later…_

"The war in Draenor is heating up," Varian said pacing in Khadgar's office at the Academy. "Gul'Dan-"

"We are aware of the situation Your Highness," Jaina Proudmoore smoothly intervened. "Khadgar, wonderful things have been done at the Academy that you helped to found but they aren't being trained fast enough. The Admiral class is nearly empty, and no one is progressing fast enough."

"We have added seven individuals to the Aspirant class as many of them have progressed. Lyrine is a Justicar, Kyra, Anduin, Lillie and Caeria are Admirals, and Elaina Forsyth has been moved up to a Captain. I believe that they are progressing just fine," Khadgar answered sharply. All anger faded from him as he stood up. "That being said, while they are doing very well in these circumstances it just isn't fast enough. But I can't throw them into the fray before they are ready."

"What do you suggest that we do then?" Jaina asked, crossing her arms.

Khadgar sighed, not really having an answer. He couldn't condone throwing them into the war on Draenor to fight the Iron Horde, but he had a duty to help protect Azeroth. There was no easy solution.

"We cannot keep them cooped up," Khadgar finally spoke. "They've been benefitting from the Academy that is true but it isn't allowing them to interact in real-world situations. It is only simulations. We need to get them out in the world, and help them gain experience that way."

"Very well," Varian said with a nod, "but make it quick Khadgar. We are in need of help on Draenor."

"Of course," Khadgar answered, creating a portal to Stranglethorn Vale.

 **Lillie**

Lillie leapt to the side, avoiding a fireball that Alyssa had sent her way. She sprang to her feet, dodging another fireball and darted towards Alyssa. But Alyssa was quicker, sending a frostbolt her way. Lillie backpedaled quickly, nearly tripping on her own feet. _A frontal attack won't work,_ she quickly thought, _so I have to use stealth. I have to sneak up on her._ Before she could implement her new change in strategy, Elaina stepped between the two a golden aura hovering around her body protectively.

"Elaina," Lillie said surprised.

"Come along you two, Archmage Khadgar is here." Elaina said.

Lillie sheathed her daggers and after a moment followed her elder sisters. Entering the Mess Hall, Lillie was surprised to find that the Aspirant class had grown even bigger and that the Captain class had grown smaller. Lillie dropped down in the seat next to Anduin, eyes intently fixed on Khadgar. Only a few weeks had passed, and she had grown closer with Anduin. He had helped her to learn Darnassian, Thalassian, Orcish, and Zandali. He had also aided her in the medical training that they were forced to undergo, as such a tentative friendship had been form between the two of them.

"The situation on Draenor has become more dire, as such it has been discovered that you're training here isn't preparing you as much as we thought it would. Or as quick as it should," Khadgar began. "All of you need experience in the field, which will become a much larger part of your training. We will be handing out missions to teams of seven; missions will primarily take place in Stranglethorn Vale but may also take you to other locations. Aspirants will not be placed into teams just yet. They need more experience." A piece of parchment appeared in the air in front of Khadgar. "Your teams have already been assembled, and I have tried to make them as diverse as possible. The teams will be named as follows, Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Omega." Lillie paid little attention as he rattled off the names of the individuals in the various teams until he got to Omega. "Even though Omegas are typically known as the underdog, I feel that this team will defy that norm. Lillie Forsyth, Anduin Wrynn, Lyrine Highbrook, Elaina Forsyth, Alyssa Forsyth, Kyra Dawnfury, and Caeria Nightbloom, with the addition of Sylene Nightbloom. Teams gather together where you will be assigned your first mission, and assign a leader and roles."

Elaina, Alyssa, Lyrine, and Kyra moved towards Lillie, Anduin and Caeria. Sylene was already sitting beside Caeria looking mildly concerned for her sister. Lillie scooted over, making room for Lyrine who graced her with a small smile and a nod. Now her entire side was pressed up against Anduin's and for some inexplicable reason she began to blush again.

"Okay, first I think that we should assign roles. Anduin, Lyrine and myself will primarily be the healers – we _are_ priests after all. Alyssa, Caeria, Lillie, and Sylene will be the fighters – the damage dealers. Since Sylene is a druid, she should try to keep a lot of the attention off of us and off of the other three." Elaina said.

"And what about me?" Kyra asked archly, raising her brows.

"Heal. Do damage. Do what a paladin does best." Elaina answered.

Kyra nodded, but couldn't hide the displeased expression on her elven features as she stared at Elaina. Trepidation crawled along Lillie's spine as she examined the team that she was now a part of – it was predominantly made up of Alliance members. With only two Horde members – both being Blood Elves – she felt that tensions would run high, especially with Elaina assuming the role as the leader. Khadgar dropped a role of parchment on their table and Alyssa almost launched herself across the table to grab it. Lillie raised her eyebrows. Didn't her sister know that they were all on the same team? Literally?

Anduin rested his forearms on the table, leaning forward. Lillie glanced at him, finding his blue eyes fixated intently on Alyssa who was unrolling the scroll to look at its contents. An uncomfortable feeling stirred in her gut, but she quickly dismissed it turning her attention to her sister as well.

"Well what does it say?" Kyra asked, fixing fel-green eyes on Alyssa.

"See for yourself," she said, laying the parchment on the table.

Lillie leaned forward, staring at the elegantly scrawled words on the paper.

 _Team Omega – First Assignment_

 _In Stranglethorn Vale, a group of poachers is operating near Nestingway's Expedition smuggling animal pelts and enticing the wildlife to attack people. Take care of the aggressive animals and put a stop to their operation._

 _~ Khadgar_

"Seems easy enough," Lille commented.

"Look at the bottom of the page Lillie," Alyssa told her sister, thinly veiled annoyance in her voice.

 _Targets:_

 _Any overly aggressive Stranglethorn tigers_

 _Hunter Grace – leader of the poachers; as name implies a skilled hunter; Human_

 _Bree Grace – wife of Hunter Grace; skilled mage; Human_

 _Iliana – Blood Elf; mage_

 _Vanessa "Nessa" Landon – priest; Human_

 _Morgan Tattershall – paladin; Human_

 _Margor Firehammer – warrior; Orc_

 _Orosh Rockbleeder – warrior; Orc_

 _Rizin Fizzlefuse – warlock; Goblin_

Lillie's eyes widened. This would be harder than she had initially thought. The poachers weren't a novice group like she had wrongfully assumed. They knew exactly what they were doing, and they were going to be tough opponents.

"Well," Elaina said, rising to her feet, "looks like we should get moving."

* * *

Lillie groaned, swiping beads of sweat off of her forehead. They had been walking for what felt like hours, and the muggy, hot air of Stranglethorn was causing her leather armor to stick to her skin. Elaina and Alyssa were at the front of their group, and Lillie felt a little jealous because neither seemed winded. Kyra and Lyrine were taking up the rear, while Anduin, Sylene, Caeria and herself were walking in the middle. At Caeria's side trudged her saber – Freya – growled, eyes darting around the shadows of the jungle.

Elaina stopped them at the mouth of a pathway, which led to a little outlook. Lillie stepped closer to the mouth, and was able to hear the sounds of water. Elaina shrugged off her pack, setting it on the ground and dug around it getting out a spy glass. She peered through it, made a noise of recognition or acknowledgment and then put it back in her backpack.

"We're close to Nestwingway's Expedition. A hundred feet at the most." Elaina told them, grabbing her pack and heaving it back onto her shoulders. "Crocolisks, inhabit the area so they might pose a slight risk as we take the path. This way is quicker, and if we follow the river just a little bit south we'll find the poachers."

Kyra huffed, "Most of us aren't used to walking a number of miles in a day. Might we take the opportunity to rest?"

Elaina nodded, however Alyssa looked like she wanted to argue. A stern look from the middle sister, silenced the elder Forsyth sister.

"You're right." Elaina said. "We should have taken a break earlier. We need to be at our full strength when we confront the poachers. Sylene could you patrol around the air, make sure it's safe?" The Night Elf nodded. "We need to establish a watch system. Who will take first watch?"

"I will." Kyra said.

"I'll take second watch then," Lyrine spoke up.

Alyssa volunteered to take the third watch, and Anduin volunteered to take the last watch. Lillie sat on the ground, crossing her legs. She shrugged off her pack and set it beside her. Slowly the others sat down, and they waited for Sylene to come back with a report. Anduin sat next to her, hands clenched into fists in his lap.

Lillie looked at him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, forcing a grin onto his face. "I'm fine. Just…tired." He laughed a little sardonically. "I'm just not used to all of this. I've spent most of my life in Stormwind learning how to be the next king and studying the Light. This is all unfamiliar." He sighed, "It's overwhelming."

"You're not the only one who is overwhelmed Anduin," Lillie told him her voice surprisingly gentle. "You think that the rest of us don't feel overwhelmed and like we're in over our heads? We do." She paused, "I do." He looked at her paying avid attention now. "I never trained for this – I never planned to become a rogue, to fight for the Alliance. I always planned on staying in Elwynn, helping my mama out. And then Khadgar gave me this opportunity and I couldn't see no, I've always had an adventurous spirit and this seemed like a dream come true. But it's overwhelming and it's challenging, and sometimes I don't understand why I chose to do this." She smiled a little, "But I remember that I'm doing something important with my life, and if I hadn't come here I wouldn't have seen my sisters for the longest time and I wouldn't have met you or Caeria or Sylene. I'd be staying in Elwynn oblivious to the danger facing us."

Anduin nodded absorbing her words. "So you don't regret it? Coming here?"

She shook her head. "No. Do you?"

The prince closed his eyes, and Lillie watched the variety of facial expressions that crossed his face. Finally he opened his piercing blue eyes and looked at her. "No. I don't think I do."

"Good," she smiled. She shifted on the ground, trying to get comfortable as Lyrine busied herself with making a fire. "Was your father mad when you told him that you wanted to do this?" She gestured around them.

Anduin laughed, a boyish grin appearing on his face that caused something in Lillie to twist in the most pleasurable of ways. He looked at her, still grinning. "Saying that he was mad would be an understatement," Anduin said. "He was absolutely furious. In all of my life I've never seen him so angry. On some level I can understand it, I'm his only child and I'm the future heir of Stormwind. But at the same time – he was able to do this. He was able to fight for Azeroth and I want that same opportunity. He's been able to do so many things that I never have and likely will never be able to. This was just some way for me to branch out, and feel like I was doing something useful instead of sitting behind the walls of Stormwind."

"Makes sense," Lillie said with a nod. "From what I've heard your father has never been a passive ruler, he's always been out fighting for the Alliance and for Azeroth."

"Precisely, and that's why I feel like I need to do the same." Anduin answered.

The two lapsed into silence once more. A few minutes later Sylene came back, telling them that the area would be safe. As night descended Lillie felt her eyes begin to grow heavy and she slumped to the side, resting her head on Anduin's arm. After a few moments she fell asleep.


	6. Chapter Five

**Lillie**

Lillie pushed herself off the ground, rising to her full height of five foot six. She stretched her arms above her head and rolled her shoulders trying to get the feeling back into her muscles. She looked around the camp, seeing that everyone except Alyssa was already up. The sun was low in the sky, near the horizon casting a soft light onto the ground. Lillie bent near Alyssa, shaking her awake. Alyssa groaned, rolling over onto her stomach and trying in vain to bat Lillie's hands away. Annoyed, Lillie shoved Alyssa roughly.

Her older sister quickly scrambled away, glaring at her. Lillie smiled, standing back up and walked over to Elaina and Kyra who were studying the map of Stranglethorn Vale intently. A few feet away from them, Lyrine was stuffing bandages into her pack. Feeling like she should help the demure Blood Elf, Lillie walked over kneeling beside her and began to help her organize the pack. Lyrine looked at her surprise on her features.

"Why are you helping me?" Lyrine asked, a little stiffly but there was nothing but curiosity in her voice.

"We're on the same team," Lillie answered. "Aren't we all just trying to find a way to save Azeroth?" After a moment Lyrine nodded. "Then it doesn't matter to me if you are a member of the Horde since we have the same goal." She stuffed one last bandage into the pack and rose to her feet.

"Thank you," Lyrine whispered.

Lillie didn't answer or even give any indication that she had heard her. She walked over to Anduin, picking her pack off of the ground where it lay beside his and slung it over one shoulder.

"You ready to go?"

He turned tired blue eyes to her. Then yawned. "Yeah."

Lillie smiled, "Is someone a little tired?"

"Hush." He mumbled, shuffling forward, blue eyes lidded with sleep.

Lillie didn't answer; she just smiled feeling a little amused and something akin to affection as she watched Anduin. Her first impressions of the prince of Stormwind had been oh-so-wrong. She felt a little bad about stereotyping him, but it ultimately hadn't affected their relationship substantially. Anduin caught her staring, looking at her a little funny. Lillie turned away simultaneously embarrassed and amused. Elaina cleared her throat gathering everyone's attention.

"We need to get moving." Elaina told them, "It'd be preferable to get back to the Academy by later today."

Lillie looked at her sister a little doubtfully. She'd bet money that they wouldn't get back to the Academy today, more like tomorrow. They had to fight poachers and put down any overaggressive Stranglethorn tigers; that wasn't going to be an easy task. The poachers weren't novices, not like they were, and knew exactly what they were doing. _But_ , Lille thought to try and remain optimistic, _we have a Druid and three Priests. That's got to count for something right_?

Not willing to argue with her sister, Lillie plastered a smile on her face. Grabbing the rest of their things they headed down the path towards the river. Lillie could hear splashing and the sounds of the Crocolisks. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine and reflexively her hands dropped to her daggers. Pushing aside the undergrowth the group came to a halt, near the water's edge. The river wasn't very wide, and it also wasn't very deep but it was fast moving. Across the river lay Nestingway's Expedition; a place that Elaina wanted to avoid at all costs. Lounging around the edge of the water, and swimming beneath its depths were multitudes of Crocolisks.

"Sylene, Alyssa do you think that you can take care of the Crocolisks in our way?" Elaina asked quietly.

Alyssa just smiled, fire lighting up in her hands. Sylene echoed Alyssa's smile though hers was more feral looking and shifted into her menacing looking cat form. While Alyssa and Sylene dispatched the Crocolisks in and out of the water, the others moved along the water's edge. Elaina raised her hand, halting them and pulled the map scanning it with a critical eye.

"It should be over there," she pointed. "On a ridge."

Lillie followed Elaina's finger and felt a scowl cross her face. It was clear that the poachers were near; the traps and the tigers milling about confirmed it. Not to mention that she could see the huge hulking forms of the Orcs, and distantly make out the sounds of people talking. Alyssa jogged up to them, panting heavily sweat slicking her skin and plastering her hair to her skin. Sylene silently appeared next to them still in her cat form.

"We'll need to take out their mages and their priest first. Alyssa, Sylene, and Lillie that's up to you. Lyrine do you think that you can keep the paladin occupied?" Elaina asked. Lyrine hesitantly nodded. "Kyra we'll need you to take on the warlock and the Orcs if you're up to it." Kyra didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes was answer enough. "Anduin and I will concentrate on healing all of you then." Pitching her voice lower she turned to Lillie, "You up to this?"

"Yes," Lillie answered firmly.

Her sister had a right to be concerned, she hadn't been training long but she wanted both of them to have some faith in her. Elaina assessed her for a few more moments before nodding definitively. Lillie shrugged off her pack, throwing it to Anduin who caught it clumsily. Stealthing, Lille unsheathed her daggers and thanks to Alyssa's magic was able to cross the river soundlessly without disturbing any water. Dropping onto the ground, Lillie sunk into a low crouch creeping towards the ridge. As she got closer she could smell something cooking, and the talking between the poachers became discernible.

It didn't sound like anything important; they were just talking about nonsensical things or mundane things like the weather. Lillie crept up behind Bree Grace, the Human mage. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Blood Elf mage fall Sylene appearing atop the fallen body. The poachers that had been sitting leapt to their feet. Lillie reacted instinctively her blades sinking into Bree's stomach. The woman gasped, and with a harsh yank Lillie tugged her blades out of Bree's stomach leaving behind a gaping hole. Without the blades holding her up, she collapsed to the ground bleeding out. Alyssa appeared in the center of the encampment, magic wrapping around her fingertips. Soon Lyrine, Kyra and Caeria were in the camp. Lillie had to duck spells and dodge blows. Kyra had dried to occupy the two Orcs and the warlock but was finding that to be harder than she thought it would.

Sylene shifted into a bear, letting out a fearsome roar and they focused all their attention on her. Well, all of them except for one Orc. Lillie was busy aiding Caeria against the leader Hunter Grace and so did not see the Orc behind her until it was too late. The blade sliced cleanly through her stomach just as she landed the killing blow to Hunter. Her eyes flew wide with surprise, and she started to fall sideways. The sword was yanked rather painfully out of her stomach and she fell to the ground, her vision growing hazy. Elaina and Alyssa screamed.

Lillie's eyes fell on Anduin, who was standing beside her sister, his mouth open in shock, ashen in complexion and a scream from his lips. Then it all faded.

 **Anduin**

"Lillie!" Anduin screamed, and ignoring any reason and Elaina's glance charged into the fray.

Alyssa had turned her fury onto the Orc who had mortally injured her sister, burning him to a crisp before he could even think about touching Anduin. Sylene had taken out the warlock, Kyra had taken out the other Orc, and Lyrine had killed the priest. With most of the foes taken out, Alyssa directed her attention to the only one left – the Human paladin. Caeria stood like a sentry over Lillie's body, her tiger pacing at her side. Anduin fell to his knees beside Lillie his hands already glowing with the power of the Light.

He tried to keep his thoughts and eyes off of the wound in Lillie's stomach but found it hard to do so. Her normally tan complexion was completely void of color. Heart pounding Anduin reached deep inside himself and _pulled_. The Light responded with fervor, wrapping around the two of them in a cocoon of warmth and comfort. He wasn't aware of the death of the paladin, or of the rest of the group coming to stand behind him or Caeria moving out of the way. He was only focused on healing Lillie. With a gasp, Anduin stopped his healing, pitching forward chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath.

When he looked at Lillie many of his fears were alleviated; most of her color was back and the wound on her stomach had virtually closed. A warm hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up through blurry vision to see Lyrine standing there her own hands glowing with the Light.

"I can take it from here Anduin," Lyrine told him with a gentle smile. "You need to rest."

Anduin nodded, and with Kyra's help made his way over to the campfire. He sat heavily on the ground, leaning against one of the logs. Across from him, Alyssa took a seat on a log chewing on a loaf of bread unnerving bright blue eyes staring at him.

"Thank you." She said. She cleared her throat, "Thank you for saving my sister."

Anduin shook his head a small, barely noticeable smile on his face. "You don't need to thank me Alyssa," he answered feeling bashful all of a sudden. His cheeks flushed a little. "Anyone would have done the same."

"Any _priest_ would have," Alyssa murmured, "that's true. But out of the three priests that we had you were the quickest to react. That is why I am thanking you. Everyone else hesitated but you didn't; you were the first one to help her."

Footsteps approaching caused the two to look towards the people approaching. Kyra and Elaina were carrying Lillie. Instead of laying her by Alyssa like Anduin thought that they might they laid her near Anduin. He wouldn't tell anyone else this but he felt some satisfaction at that, and his heart swelled when he saw that she looked perfectly healthy – the wound on her stomach was gone and all of her coloring had returned. Her breathing was deep and even and he had this increasing urge to run his fingers through her hair and an even stronger urge to _kiss_ her.

He flushed, looking away from her suddenly preoccupied with staring at the flames of the fire and the mutton roasting over it. Caeria and Sylene sat to his left, while Lyrine, Elaina and Kyra sat on the other side of the camp.

"So guess we won't be leaving for the Academy today," Caeria said.

Elaina huffed a laugh but the worried look on her face didn't fade. "I suppose not. As soon as Lillie awakens and is healthier, we will leave."

Anduin looked at Lillie, praying that she would wake up soon and that when she did she would be perfectly fine.


	7. Chapter Six

**Lillie**

When she woke up, at first Lillie didn't know where she was. She felt disoriented and tried to push herself up onto her elbows, but was unable to do so as she was too weak. She could only lie there helplessly. After a few minutes of resting, and seeing no one else around she tried to sit up. Once again she failed.

"Careful," Anduin chided her, appearing in her peripheral vision.

"Anduin," Lillie sighed feeling relief. "Where is everyone?"

"Gathering more firewood, or putting down tigers that became more aggressive. Lyrine is busy gathering herbs and Alyssa is hunting Crocolisks." Anduin answered. He knelt by her side and helped her sit up and lean against a log. He didn't look at her as his hands glowed with the power of the Light and Lillie felt her aches and pains begin to disappear. "They were all very worried about you, you know," he told her rocking back on his heels and rising to his full height. "We all were."

She managed a small smile, "Well I guess I won't be heading to Draenor soon, huh?"

"None of us will, save for Elaina." Anduin answered. He swiped his hands on the front of his robes. "For a first mission, you did fine. It was one of the harder missions, I think."

Lillie didn't answer. She appreciated Anduin's words but couldn't really believe them. The mission hadn't gone horrible, she knew that and she knew that it could have gone worse but she didn't feel like she had contributed all that much and felt that she had only made a bigger mess of things. In reality this wasn't true, but she felt inadequate. Like she was just a nuisance. She couldn't help but feel that way, everyone at the Academy save for her, Caeria, Anduin and Kyra had been training all of their lives.

She'd only been training for a few weeks. Even though Caeria, Kyra, and Anduin hadn't been training that long either, but they took to it better than Lillie and were making more progress than she was. It left her feeling inadequate and feeling like a failure. She sighed, raising her arm and using her hand to brush some hair away from her face. Alyssa dropped onto the ground next to Lillie, who stared at her elder sister with blank eyes that showed no emotion.

"Hey," Alyssa whispered, wrapping arm around Lillie's shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Lillie answered. "Are we going to head back to the Academy soon?"

"As soon as we eat," Elaina said walking into their makeshift camp with Kyra, Sylene, and Caeria trailing behind her. "I'm glad to see that you are feeling better, Lil." Lillie mustered a small smile for her sister but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Elaina frowned, concern flashing in her eyes.

"All of the aggressive tigers have been put down," Sylene spoke, sitting on the ground and languidly stretching. "We should be safe to-"

"We are not leaving until we've eaten," Elaina said firmly.

The other members of the party shifted awkwardly, as Sylene's eyes stared at Elaina with an intensity that caused most of them to look away. Lillie watched in fascination as Elaina and Sylene stared at each other. Eventually Elaina looked away her cheeks flushing with anger. At that same moment Anduin and Lyrine walked into the camp, and Lillie's chest ached uncomfortably as Anduin said something to Lyrine and the pretty Blood Elf laughed, fel-green eyes glinting with amusement and her cheeks flushing a pale shade of pink which made her look even prettier than usual.

Lillie shook her head looking away from the two and dismissing the funny feeling welling up inside her. Alyssa squeezed her shoulders and then rose to her feet, cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders.

"Are we leaving then?" Alyssa asked.

With reluctance evident in her eyes and from every pore in her body Elaina nodded. She waved dismissively at Alyssa who rolled her eyes and held her hands out in front of her. Sylene came to Lillie's side helping the girl up, as Alyssa channeled her magic to create a shimmering portal that would take them to the Academy. Lillie hobbled forward aided by Sylene and the two stepped through the portal first. They waited by the entrance to the portal as the others slowly came through.

Her chest clenched uncomfortably as Lyrine and Anduin walked through the portal together, smiling. She looked away. Alyssa was the last one to step through the portal and with a slight whooshing sound it closed.

"Maybe we're one of the first groups back," Kyra said as they walked through the unusually silent Academy and to the mess hall, where they were hoping to find instructions on what to do.

"That's possible I suppose," Sylene murmured. "I know that many of the groups were sent further away like to Westfall, Twilight Highlands or the Western Plaguelands. Some were sent as far as Northrend."

Lillie's eyes grew wide. They must have been one of the few groups if not the only group to stay in Stranglethorn Vale. She considered that a blessing. She had no desire to head to Northrend or any of the other wilder places. For now, Stranglethorn was wild enough. The group walked forward, Alyssa and Elaina taking up spots at Lillie's side and headed to the mess hall, and upon pushing the doors open Lillie was pleasantly surprised to see Khadgar pacing at the front. To Lillie's increased surprise, Varian Wrynn and Vol'jin the leader of the Horde were there too, talking in low voices. Upon their rather loud entrance into the mess hall, the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance fell silent.

Khadgar ceased his pacing turning to face them, his eyes giving nothing away. He didn't appear surprised to see the, but maybe he was. It was hard to tell with mages.

"You're back," Varian said his eyes falling on Anduin who was standing next to Lyrine. "How did everything go?"

"Perfectly well," Anduin answered back coolly. "No major mishaps."

Lillie glanced at him, knowing that he was lying and from the looks on Varian's and Khadgar's faces they knew it too.

"There was a mishap but it was handled," Elaina answered. "We completed our task, we put down the aggressive tigers and we stopped the poachers. Is there anything else that we can do?"

"Of course there is," Khadgar answered. "There is no shortage of tasks in Azeroth." Khadgar pursed his lips. "Unfortunately, the tasks are of minor consequence. Our real issue is defending the Dark Portal and making sure that it is difficult for substantial Orc forces to come in. Nethergarde Keep is in the stages of being rebuilt, so you can help out there. You can also work on containing the Iron Horde."

Lillie's heart pounded in her chest. That seemed like a lot compared to their first mission and she wasn't quite sure if she was ready for that yet. But it couldn't possibly hurt to try? Who was she kidding? She wasn't ready to fight against the Horde yet; she doubted that she ever would be. Elaina squeezed Lillie's arm and the youngest Forsyth looked at Khadgar who was watching her with kind looking eyes.

"Of course, before you do that there is a small little Undead problem in Duskwood," Khadgar said. "And there is the issue of gnolls in Redridge Mountains. Take care of those issues first and then come back here. We'll discuss the Blasted Lands then."

Lillie minutely relaxed, feeling relief surge through her body. Undead in Duskwood? Now that was something that she could handle. Khadgar dismissed them, saying that they got a day or two of rest but from the restlessness that everyone else was experiencing Lillie knew that they'd be headed to Duskwood as soon as they possibly could. She headed to her room, pushing past Anduin and Lyrine. Once she got into the room she closed the door – slammed it, would be a better word – and flopped onto her bed feeling physically and emotionally exhausted.

She could only pray that their adventures in Duskwood and Redridge Mountains would go better than this first mission had.

 **Anduin**

Lillie brushed between him and Lyrine. He jumped watching her go with worried blue eyes. Ever since she had woken up she had been acting funny, and he couldn't figure out why. Was she still hurt and just not telling anyone? Or was there a deeper issue that he wasn't aware of?

"Anduin I would like a word with you," Varian said before he could get too far.

Holding back a sigh Anduin turned and headed over to his father who was standing by the doors of the mess hall. The two had a tumultuous relationship at best, partly due to their conflicting personalities. Anduin was levelheaded and his father was rasher; they had differing views on war as well. Sometimes Varian thought it was a necessity, and that it couldn't be avoided; Anduin was of the opinion that there should be no war only peace. However, peace was much harder to accomplish.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Varian questioned as soon as Anduin neared him. "There are plenty of possible wives residing in Stormwind."

Anduin looked away, face burning. For the longest time his father had been trying to set him up with a potential match. Varian had yet to realize that Anduin didn't want to find a potential wife yet, that was why he wanted to attend the Academy. However Varian was still trying to set Anduin up with someone and get him back to Stormwind.

"I am perfectly fine," Anduin answered coolly. "Now if you would excuse me I believe that I must prepare for a journey to Duskwood."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Lillie**

Duskwood was not like how Lillie pictured it to be. If anything, it was perhaps even more frightening. The moans and groans of the Undead set her on edge, and she couldn't help but let her hands stray to her weapons each time she heard their noises. It amazed her that Anduin, Lyrine, Elaina, Alyssa, Kyra, Caeria, and Sylene were the pictures of calm. It didn't even seem to faze them. Of course, it was no surprise that her sisters were calm; they had been training for missions like this, for _years._ Lillie bounced anxiously on the balls of her feet, her heart pounding in her chest as they got closer to the graveyard at Raven Hill.

Anduin, sent an amused look her way, and she just grinned cheekily. He sighed, exasperated and then his gaze turned to one of concern. Evidently, Lillie realized, she wasn't doing as well at hiding her nerves as she thought she was. Lillie looked away from the suddenly piercing stare of the Crown Prince of Stormwind, her eyes roving through the dark trees that lined the path. Everything in Duskwood was cold, dark and dreary, and creepy as all hell, obviously.

She couldn't ever imagine living in a place like this. She much preferred the sunnier forests of home, near Goldshire. The Blood Elf priestess paused in her steps, her fel-green eyes darting around the trees warily and the paladin stepped forward, a hand falling to her hammer. Like Lyrine, Kyra was as tense as a tightly wound bow string and Lillie felt her own hands straying toward her weapons. Admittedly, she still hadn't had a lot of training and might be pretty much useless in a fight but she could at least try to help.

"We're being watched," Lyrine said. "The Undead know that we are coming and they are not happy about it."

"Yeah, because they know that we're going to kick them back into hell," Caeria quipped.

Kyra sent a scathing look toward the Night Elf huntress, "This is not a laughing matter, youngling." Caeria bristled. But Kyra ignored her, "They are powerful. Perhaps more powerful than Khadgar had anticipated. Can't you feel the magic crackling in the air?"

"Yes," Lyrine answered, when no one else did. "Perhaps that is because we are sensitive to such dark magic, Kyra. Hope that they do not have a necromancer. That will make our jobs significantly more difficult, don't you think?"

Kyra hummed in agreement, and then their party was moving on closer to the cemetery. Anduin dropped back from the front of their party, to the middle, until he was walking beside Lillie. It was weird, she thought, how his very presence near her made her feel infinitely calmer and prepared for whatever came. Anduin nudged Lillie's arm with his and she glanced at him, eyes curious.

"Are you ready for your first fight against the Undead?" he whispered.

"I think you mean my first real fight. The tigers in Stranglethorn don't count," she answered back. Then she shrugged, "Honestly, I have no idea if I'm ready or not. Guess we'll find out."

He smiled leaning closer to her and for some inexplicable reason her cheeks heated up. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Lillie. You've been training very hard after all."

"Only because you occasionally help me," Lillie shot back.

"Then it will be just like training. Except you aren't fighting me. You're fighting something that wants to kill you," Anduin answered his voice calm and sure.

It irritated her a little bit, that he had so much confidence in her. Yet, at the same time it filled her with a warm fuzzy feeling that settled in her chest and made her feel so much lighter. Kyra held up a hand, stopping them in their tracks and Lillie's eyes darted around the graveyard nervously. From what she could see through the gates, it looked pretty empty. No sign of the Undead.

That was until a groan pierced the silent night air and then the ground before them was filled with dead, rotting bodies, surging toward them. There were too many of them to count and then the dead were open them. Lillie lashed out with her blades, letting her instinct and muscle memory guide her. Behind her she could hear Kyra's grunts as she swung her hammer into the skulls of Undead, and feel the warmth and heat radiating off of the Light magic that Anduin and Lyrine were using. A warm bubble of light encompassed Lillie, and a blade that had been headed for the back of her neck, bounced off.

It gave Lillie just enough time to whirl around, her blade easily slicing through the tendons in the Undead's neck. Its head tipped back, blood spurting from the wound as it crumpled to the ground no longer moving, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. A roar from Sylene briefly startled her as the druid, leapt past her taking out one of the bigger Undead that had come upon them. Caeria, knocked an arrow at Lillie's side, sending it flying toward one of the Undead stalking toward Elaina, who was too focused on healing and protecting them to notice the danger.

"Thank you," Lillie whispered, to Caeria who just gave her a nod, her eyes hard.

The brief reprieve she had was gone, and she found herself in the middle of the battle once again. Unconsciously, Lillie was keeping an eye out for Anduin. She was aware of every movement he made, even while her back was turned to him and it seemed like she had a sixth sense when it came to protecting him from danger because she had saved him at least twice from a few Undead who were overwhelming him. Lillie lashed out, kicking a rotting corpse away from her. She followed that up, leaping and performing a perfect roundhouse kick to another corpse. Her movements were fluid as her blades flashed and danced, cutting down the Undead.

She knew that she was average, there was no doubt about that and she wasn't making the strides in battle like Kyra and Sylene were but she was contributing much more than she thought she would. Slowly, the din of battle began to die down until there were but a few Undead left. Kyra and Sylene dispatched them easily enough and with the threat extinguished, Lillie wiped the blood and gore off of her blades before sheathing them and crossing her arms over her chest.

Her armor was splattered with blood and pieces of rotting flesh and brain matter, and Lillie gagged a little as she began to meticulously pick it off of the leather. Alyssa, flipped her hair over her clean robes, and smiled teasingly at Lillie who only rolled her eyes. Alyssa was only clean because she didn't have to be right in the melee, like Lillie did, however, that didn't mean that Alyssa's smug expression didn't irritate Lillie.

"Well at least there were no major mishaps this time," Alyssa quipped.

"Indeed," Elaina readily agreed. She turned a concerned gaze on Lillie, "You are okay, aren't you?"

Lillie clenched her jaw briefly, knowing that indirectly they were calling her the weakest link. Maybe not intentionally but it was there, underneath their words. She couldn't fault them for being worried about her, since she was the youngest sibling and their last job hadn't gone so well. That was why she did her best to stave off her irritation and instead gave her sisters a small smile.

"Perfectly well, Elaina," Lillie said through clenched teeth. A light touch on her hand made her eyes dart to Anduin who was watching her with an understanding look on his face. "So, Redridge Mountains, then?"

"No. First we head back to Darkshire, then we eat and rest. After that, we'll go to Redridge," Elaina rebuffed, and her remarks quickly gained the agreement of everyone else in the party sans Anduin who was silent and watching Lillie closely.

The walk back to Darkshire was quiet, and their steps were sluggish. The battle had really taken a lot out of them, and right now all Lillie wanted to do was take a warm bath and then curl up in bed and sleep. Preferably for a day or two. Her eyes moved toward Kyra and Sylene, who had done most of the melee fighting and who, irritatingly enough, didn't even look the slightest bit tired. They were used to this life, Lillie reasoned. It was a truth she couldn't ignore.

While she wanted to be helpful and be the best, she knew that she couldn't. As of now, it wasn't possible because this life was entirely new to her. She was way out of her element, just like Anduin was. Anduin had only known court life before this; well, she knew that he was an ambassador to the other races, but she doubted that he had actually seen battle before. In many ways, the two were alike and it was a realization that Lillie was just coming to. Maybe that was why it upset her so much when it appeared that he was getting close to Lyrine, because, he had been close with Lillie first and the two were similar, and she didn't want Lyrine to interfere with that. She refused to even entertain the idea that she had a crush on the Prince; only heartache would of that.

Once in Darkshire they headed into the inn, where mugs of ale were ordered and so was a lot of food. Lillie quietly ate the lamb meat, her eyes watching with amusement as Sylene and Caeria engaged in a drinking contest. She never thought she would see the dignified Night Elf race, partaking in a human drinking contest. At her side, Anduin shook with silent laughter, and across the table Elaina was saying something in Darnassian to Sylene which made her face color. Her cheeks puffed out as she tried not to laugh and instead swallow the ale that was in her mouth, but she was unsuccessful and the ale went spraying out of her mouth and all over the table.

Lyrine jumped up a disgusted expression on her face, while Kyra looked decidedly unamused but other than mopping up the area around her plate with a napkin, the paladin didn't do anything.

"This is nice," Lillie commented in a low voice to Anduin, who looked at her with a small smile, already knowing exactly what she meant.

"This break?" he checked and she nodded. "It is. Meals like this, I'm afraid, are something that I'm unaccustomed to."

"Me too," Lillie whispered. "At home, it was always Mama, Elaina, Alyssa, and I. We were never one for frivolities, or drinking contests. Light, if Mama saw this, she'd probably faint."

Anduin snorted, "I'd imagine that my father would feel the same way." He paused. Then, "Maybe, not actually. But I assume that he would be rather unimpressed."

Lillie nudged him with her arm a warm smile on her face. "I'm glad that I'm not the only one unfamiliar with this lifestyle. It makes me feel decidedly less awkward than I did before."

"I aim to please," Anduin joked, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiled. Something in his eyes darkened, "Think we should go find some rooms?"

Lillie laughed, feeling slightly inebriated from the ale that she had been drinking. "Probably," she cast a glance toward their comrades. "Looks like they might be here awhile still."

Together the duo stood up, wandering away unnoticed upstairs. Lillie peeked her head into each of the rooms, a contemplating look on her face. She knew that some of the rooms might have to be shared but that didn't stop her from wanting to get the best one. Lillie paused outside one of the bigger rooms, a satisfied look appearing on her face as she stepped inside. Yes, this was the one she wanted. She looked toward the bed, and felt herself tremble a little from the heat she could feel emanating from Anduin as he stood behind her. Just as quickly she dismissed it, telling herself that she had only shivered because the bed looked so nice and she couldn't wait to sleep in it.

Lillie turned around, to say something to Anduin and her eyes widened when she registered his close proximity. Before she could say anything, he was leaning down and his lips were on hers. She could taste the ale on his tongue as he gently coaxed her mouth open, his hand cupping her cheek and holding her to him. If she had any sense at all she would have yanked away in an endeavor not to ruin their friendship, but she wasn't exactly sober either. She was only vaguely aware of his swift, nimble fingers undoing the straps of her armor and tugging the constricting leather away. It wasn't until she felt the cool night air on her skin, and the heat of his palms on her breasts did her eyes snap open and she registered that she was missing some of her armor.

Her eyes shyly looked up into Anduin's as he stared down at her heatedly. Then they were tumbling to the bed, falling onto it in a mess of tangled lips, their mouths glued together as they raced to see who could get who out of their clothes first. Lillie felt exposed as she lay beneath Anduin naked, his hand stroking her inner thigh and his lips mouthing at her chest, circling around her breasts. His tongue darted out to taste the sweat slicked skin of her upper chest and she groaned, her head tipping back and all rational thought – what little was left of it – fled her mind as she tangled her fingers in Anduin's hair. That night they made love, slowly. The only sounds in the entire upstairs – their friends had passed out downstairs – came from the room, the two were in and the air was filled with their gasps and groans of pleasure.

In the morning, they would have to face the reality and consequences of their actions. But as they made love all through the night, it didn't matter.


End file.
